


Peeta's Paint Box (PIP 2014)

by Konzelwoman



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Tumblr: promptsinpanem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-14 22:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2204787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konzelwoman/pseuds/Konzelwoman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day one of Peeta's Paint Box PiP.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Like a beautiful blonde pineapple!

Katniss stared at her image in the mirror, grimacing at her reflection.

Under all the lights lining the mirror, the pounds and pounds of makeup on her face, and her hair in a blonde wig pinned up in tight curls with a bit of teasing here and there, she hardly recognized herself.

If it weren’t for Johanna basically dragging her to the auditions, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

The local theatre was doing a production of Grease, and Johanna wanted to be Rizzo more than anything.

Katniss had gone into the little room to audition, three pairs of eyes staring at her, and even that was three pairs too many.

A man behind a table took a quick hit from a flask as she walked in, quickly tucking it away as he saw her walk in.

"People are that bad?" Katniss asked him, a slight grin turning up her face.

The man smiled guiltily and hung his head between his elbows and forearms resting on the table. “You have no idea, sweetheart.”

He introduced her to the man on his left as the costume designer, Cinna. He was dressed fashionably, but in a comfortable style Katniss actually liked, and looked every bit the part of a theatre crew with his barely noticeable gold eye liner and red scarf.

The director - who she learned was named Haymitch - then introduced the woman behind the piano as the music director, Effie Trinket, to which she was quick to interject she was also the assistant costume designer and choreographer.

"So, what’re you going to sing for us, sweetheart?" Haymitch smiled, despite his dry tone.

"Well, uh," Katniss began, "my friend literally told me about this an hour ago, so I don’t really have anything prepared."

The woman behind the piano tisked in disapproval, and jotted something down on a piece of paper on top of the piano. “Well, let me at least vocalize you.”

"Excuse me?"

The woman looked at her as if she were dense. “Check out your vocal range?”

"Oh. Oh, yes. Sorry." She approached the piano and followed the strings of notes and silly syllables Effie asked her to repeat.

As soon as she was done, Cinna spoke up and said, “Do you know any folk songs?”

“‘The hanging tree’ and ‘Deep in the meadow’.”

"I know the chords for ‘Deep in the meadow’ by heart. Would you mind singing it if I played it with you?"

"Uh, sure, I guess."

As he sat down at the piano, he played a chord and told Katniss that was the key he wanted her to sing in because it was the best part of her voice.

"So you’re trying to make me sound pretty?" she said lowly and grinned at him.

He returned her grin. “I’m trying to help you make an impression.”

It must have worked because they called her back in for several readings, finally ending in a call from Haymitch, letting her know she was offered the part of Frenchy.

"It’s everyone’s favorite role, but you have no major solos, so I thought it would be perfect for you, hating that lime light so much. You don’t know how hard I fought for you to be this role. Effie wanted you to be Sandy or the peppy, perky, annoying-as-hell cheerleader, but I put my foot down"

"Everyone’s favorite? Do you think I will do it justice?"

"You have no idea the effect you can have, do you?" He chuckled over the phone.

They still needed someone to play Doody, Frenchy’s love interest, and asked if she knew anyone. If she was supposed to fall in love with anyone, real or not real, it would be one person. “I know just the person.”

She asked her best friend Peeta if he would do it. “For me?” she begged and pleaded, with him finally relenting, and despite being tone deaf, he got the part - they said it made him that much more endearing.

She and Peeta grew really close over the course of rehearsals, making their on stage chemistry “effervescent” as Effie said.

Cinna decided the school colors should be red and white, complimenting the Pink Ladies’ jackets and T-Birds’ jackets nicely.

The first time she had walked out of the dressing room in her first costume at a fitting, Cinna could not contain his smile. She had a red pencil skirt with a black belt, a white blouse, and the pink lady jacket hung over her shoulders.

Across the room, Finnick Odair, who was playing Kinickie whistled, making Katniss glare at him. “Man! Wow, Cinna! What did you did to Katniss, because the girl I see is on fire!”

Katniss glanced beside Finnick to Peeta, and had to bite her cheek to not smile at his slightly agape mouth as he stared at her.

Unfortunately, Finnick caught her looking at Peeta, and turned to look at him, putting his index finger under Peeta’s chin and closing his mouth, a knowing grin spread on his face as Peeta turned to him with a blush, and lightly punched Finnick’s arm.

Katniss looked at herself in the mirror, and saw Cinna appear behind her reflection. Meeting his eyes in the mirror she asked, “Do you think I can do this?”

"I’m not a betting man, but, girl on fire, I’m betting on you."

Katniss smiled at the memories as a knock sounded at the dressing room door. “Yes?” all the girls replied at once, causing some to giggle, and Katniss and Johanna to glance at one another and roll their eyes despite their grins.

"Is everyone decent?" they heard Cinna’s voice through the door.

"Yes," once again rang out unanimously through the dressing room.

Cinna walked in, smiling as always, checking each girl’s costume, hair, and makeup in turn.

As he got to Katniss, he could see her nerves. “Hey, there, girl on fire.” Finnick had a big mouth, so that’s what everyone called her now. “You are going to be just fine.”

Katniss sighed. It was intermission, after all, the show was half over, but up next was the hand jive, which was a grueling dance Effie had put together, and the prom of the fictitious Rydell high school, so she had on a silky, yellow, poofy dress.

"You think I look okay?"

He turned her back toward the mirror, and met her eyes in their reflection, “Remember, girl on fire, I’m still betting on you.”

As they got a call over the intercom saying 5 minutes to places, Katniss touched up her bright red 50’s color lipstick, and went out into the hallway.

She spied Peeta in his costume, a suit and red tie, his shirt selves rolled up to his elbows and his T-birds jacket held lazily on one finger over his shoulder.

"Hey! Doody!" She called in the annoying high pitched voice Haymitch had requested she use on stage.

He turned to look at her, a smile instantly on his face as he approached her. He was using his character walk as he approached, his hips thrown forward, his shoulders slightly tilted back as he swaggered over to her. “Heya, French! How’s it goin’?”

"Doody, how do I look?" She put her hands in her hips and jutted one out.

He looked her up and down. “Like a beautiful blonde pineapple!”

Katniss huffed in anger, turned on her heel and walked away, smiling as Peeta called after her, “Katniss! Katniss, I thought we were just running the dialogue. You want to know what I really think?”

She wiped the smile off of her face and turned around, arms crossed, trying to look annoyed, but gasped I surprise when she found Peeta only inches from her face. “What?” she asked, her voice faint and weak, much like her knees at the moment.

He grinned that lopsided, dimpled grin as he leaned in even closer, his lips barely grazing her ear and making her shudder involuntarily as he whispered, “You should wear that red lipstick more often.”

"Places!" they heard the stage manager scream, but neither one of them moved, their eyes locked on each other.

Peeta grinned again and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Effie rushed by and simply whispered, “Manners!”

They broke away from one another laughing as Cinna walked up, turned Peeta to him and wiped off the lipstick that had rubbed off during the kiss. “Okay, okay, you two. Wait until after the show.” He lightly shoved Peeta over toward his place as he smiled and turned to Katniss, touching up her lipstick for her. “I see now why your stage chemistry is _effervescent_ ,” he chuckled.


	2. Reading Rainbow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Peeta's Paint Box PiP.

Katniss had made sure that her children didn’t watch any of that modern day crap they called a “children’s show”.

"Wiggle, waggle, brittle, bagel," she said bitterly to Peeta when he asked why their children were not allowed to watch TV on a Saturday morning.

"That….." Peeta scrunched up his face in a mix of confusion and amusement. "….made absolutely _no_ sense.”

"I don’t care what the shows are called, they can’t watch them."

"Are you saying there is a show called ‘Brittle Bagel’? Because as a baker, you have me intrigued…."

Katniss stopped stirring the tea in her hand and looked up at him, her eyebrows raised.

"Okay, okay," Peeta relented, throwing his hands up in surrender.

"Why can’t they just watch something like I did? Like…. Reading Rainbow?"

"I had forgotten all about that show!"

"Well go search it! Shoo! Be gone, my bakers man!"

“ _Aaaaassssss yooooou wiiiiiish_!” Peeta said through his hands, making his voice muffled, and spun out of the kitchen.

"Bakers," Katniss huffed.

"Heard that!" she heard Peeta call through the kitchen door, making her grimace.

Several minutes later as she stood in the pantry tapping her chin with her index finger while staring at the multitude of cereal boxes on the shelf trying to make a decision, Peeta came in and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Cereal? Really?"

"Really really."

"Well, I found the show and the kids are now glued to the television, so why don’t you and I abuse this time we have alone, and…."

"What are you suggesting, Mr. Mellark?" Katniss said in mock naivety.

"Well, _Mrs. Mellark_ , I was thinking we could….” He nuzzled into her hair, brushing his lips against her ear as he spoke, “Make a real breakfast.”

"Oh my god, are you serious?" She turned to him, her face beaming in excitement.

"Seriously serious."

"Well then shoo! Make me pancakes, bakers man!"

"What is with this ‘bakers man’ thing?"

Katniss scowled. “Sorry. Been playing patty cake too much with Finn. He just loves it so much. Every time I say ‘bakers man’, he says, ‘daddys pan’, which I am assuming is the cake pan you two made that cake in last week.”

"Well, duh, we didn’t make cookies in a cake pan. My children know better."

“ _Your_ children?”

"When it comes to baking. See, I don’t teach them how to burn down a house, I teach them how to bake beautiful things. And are you sure he isn’t saying, ‘daddy’s the man’?"

Katniss stared at him for several seconds before answering dryly, “I’m positive.”

Peeta already had pancakes made, and was putting them on plates, sitting down across from Katniss just as their oldest daughter stuck her head in the kitchen door. “Hey, daddy?”

Peeta sighed a small sigh, but quickly concealed it with that grin. “Yes, sweetie?”

"Can, uh…. Can you come help me and Finn for a little bit?"

"Sure."

Katniss moved to get out of the chair, when her daughter motioned frantically for her to stop. “No, mama! Not you. You’re not allowed.”

"Hey! That’s not very nice," Peeta chided the little girl.

Katniss shrugged, reaching for Peeta’s plate and pulling it alongside hers. “Oh well. I don’t mind. More pancakes for me, oh wonderful master of all things creative and beautiful.”

"Ha-ha," Peeta said, only his head poking around the kitchen door as his daughter pulled him away.

After eating the pancakes, Katniss was still hungry, and didn’t want to chance burning down the house, or setting off the smoke alarm, as both would most likely result in an ‘I told ya so’ from Peeta, so she went back and grabbed that giant neon orange bag of grocery store brand cereal.

She had a bowl and spoon in hand, and was just reaching into the fridge for milk when she heard foot steps in the kitchen.

She slowly peeked her head up above the open fridge door, jumping slightly when she found herself face to face with Haymitch. “What’re you doing?” She asked slowly, drawing the words out.

"Just…. Scavenging."

"You didn’t go grocery shopping again, did you?"

Haymitch pulled back with his hand on his heart, an over exaggerated look of shock and horror on his face. “Me?” He barked.

"Yes. You."

"I’ll have you know I have a pantry _full_ of food.”

"Then why are you here to ‘ _scavenge_ ’?”

"I’m scavenging for a distraction for Peeta and the mini me’s."

"You’re buying them time?"

"Yes." He nodded firmly, a smile in his face.

"Aw, how sweet of you, Haymitch!" Katniss had her hand to her heart, her best proud mommy face on.

"Thank you." Haymitch nodded again.

"But seriously." Katniss dead panned.

"What?"

"Your pantry?"

"Dry as a bone."

"Knew it."

"Killjoy."

"Moocher."

"Hey. I am a muncher, not a moocher."

"You are many things, Haymitch, but neither muncher not moocher fit the bill and there are little ears nearby, so I will leave it at that," Peeta said from behind them, making them both jump.

"Lover boy, you’re going to give me a heart attack, if that sweetheart of yours doesn’t do it first from breaking my heart."

"Blah, blah, blah," Katniss said quietly as she shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

"You two!" Peeta barked, Katniss stopping mid chew, Haymitch with his finger pointed at Katniss, his lips pursed about to speak. "Don’t make me put you in time out."

They both hung their heads simultaneously.

"That’s what I thought," Peeta grinned. "Now, Katniss, leave the cereal alone-"

"But-"

"And come with me-"

"But-"

“ _Our_ children have a wonderful surprise for you.”

Katniss pushed her cereal bowl forward, got out of the chair, and went to walk out of the kitchen in front of a beaming Peeta. “Right. Because everything you touch turns to gold.”

She yelped as Peeta smacked her on the rear lightly. “Not everything.”

"Hey!"

"It was gold in the first place."

Katniss opened her mouth to say something snarky, but only a blush came to her cheeks as they turned up in a wide grin.

"Now, what surprise did the kids…." She trailed off as she eyed two pieces of art on the table.

One was obviously Finn’s, as it was a finger painting. It was a rainbow, rough and the colors ran together in places, but it was beautiful to her because she saw not only Finn’s finger prints in the tracks of paint, but also Peeta’s, where he had obviously helped his son out a bit.

And the next painting was surely her daughter’s. She had her father’s gift for making beautiful things. It was a painting of a sunset, and the brush strokes were from one of Peeta’s favorite brushes. And once again, she saw two different sets of brush strokes, Peeta’s and their daughter’s. It faded from twilight to Peeta’s favorite color of orange and overlooked a meadow which looked eerily familiar.

She looked up at Peeta, tears brimming in her eyes.

He smiled proudly. “They couldn’t find my orange paint and needed help mixing some up.”

"Because daddy’s the man!" Finn exclaimed, holding two paint stained thumbs up, making Katniss giggle.

"Mama?" a small voice called behind Katniss.

She turned around and looked at her daughter, her blue eyes so much like her fathers, and so full of life just like his. “I made a sunset like you described to me from when you went out with grandpa that one time. And Finn drew a rainbow because-“

"Because daddy’s the man!" Finn exclaimed once again, holding two paint stained thumbs up.

“ _Because_ ,” her daughter glared at her brother, making Katniss stifle a laugh. “Because we love that TV show, and you grew up watching it and it says it’s important to be creative and use your imagination, and we just decided it would be best-“

"I love them," Katniss cut her daughter off, knowing she got her lack of elocution from her.

"You do?" Katniss had never seen her daughter look more proud.

"I do."

"Do you think we can hang them up by daddy’s art?"

Katniss smiled. “Yes.”

"Really?" The little girl squealed.

"Really really."

Peeta scooped up Finn and all four of them joined in a group hug as Haymitch walked through the kitchen door, eating a bowl of cereal.

"Aw, isn’t this a lovely picture?"

Katniss scowled at him.

He stopped mid chew. “What?”


	3. It was an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PiP 2014 day 3.

The wind blew a salty breeze and the trees swayed lazily as Katniss and Peeta stared at the gentle waves ebbing and flowing on the shoreline.

It was a beautiful sight, but terrifying at the same time. Finnick and Annie had just moved to California and had asked them to come and visit for a few days.

They had jumped at the offer, both excited to finally see the ocean, but once they got there, it was a bit unnerving.

Finnick grinned at the two of them. “Come on, ye land lubbers! Go get yer sea legs!”

Peeta and Katniss turned to him in unison with incredulous looks on their faces.

"What? Okay, okay, at least get your toes wet instead of standing forty feet back from the water, staring at it like it will eat you."

Annie walked up just then, handing Finnick a yellow snow cone.

"Where did you get that?" Peeta asked, sounding like a four year old.

"What flavor is that?" Katniss asked, a somewhat disgusted look on her face.

"Lemon drop!" Finnick announced proudly, a huge smile on his face, which quickly melted as he perked and eyebrow up at Katniss. "Why?"

"Well, you know what they say about yellow snow…."

Finnick smiled with tight, closed lips, swallowed, turned and walked over to a trashcan, and tossed the snow cone in, then pretended to dry heave over the can.

He walked back with the same tight grin on his face, looking right at Katniss. “Why must you ruin lemon drop for me. Why?”

Annie tried to hide her own grin, but was unsuccessful. “Over on the pier. They have face painting and stuff, too. All free. If you need some time to get used to the water, I understand. Go ahead. Procrastinate all you want.” Annie waved them over toward the pier.

Peeta and Katniss took one look at each other and bolted toward the pier as if their lives depended on it.

The first thing Peeta did was get a snow cone.

"What flavor you want?" the bored man behind the counter asked.

Peeta scanned the list of flavors. “Um, tangerine, please!”

"Of course!" Katniss mumbled.

"What?"

"You’re only getting that because it is orange colored."

Peeta scoffed as he took his snow cone from the man.

"And what flavor for you, miss?"

"Lime, please."

Peeta scoffed again.

"What?"

"You’re only getting that because it is green."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"I take it back. You are what you eat, and today you are bitter, sour, and zesty."

“ _Zesty_?”

"Hush. I am a baker and it’s a real word I use every day. Don’t challenge me, Everdeen."

"Well, then you go nicely with me with your sweetness, boldness, and obnoxiousness….ly bright color."

Peeta stuck his tongue out at her.

They made their way to the face painting booth, and Peeta somehow convinced the people at the booth to let he and Katniss paint one another’s faces.

Peeta painted a big, pastel yellow sun with a pair of sunglasses and a smile on one of her cheeks, squiggly rays shooting out around it across her face, and somehow turned the rays close to her eyes into what looked like bird wings made out of flames.

She pointed to her face after looking in the mirror. “You had to use orange in some way, didn’t you?”

"Sour puss."

"Gimme that brush, tangerine man."

Peeta grinned as she took the brush from him with a scowl. “Oh, look. When you scowl it makes the sun look overcast,” he taunted.

Katniss dipped her brush in the paints and went to work on his face.

When she was done, she grinned manically and denied him a chance to look in the mirror.

"How long does this stuff last?" she asked one of the booth workers.

"Until you get in the water."

Katniss looked back at Peeta and took off running toward the beach, a giant grin on her face.

Peeta looked in the mirror and saw a lemon with sunglasses kissing an orange with sunglasses, only on either side of his nose, so they looked like they were kissing his nose. “ _Kaaaaatniiiisss_!” He called, dropping the mirror and taking off after her.

When he reached her, she was on the edge of the waves, he toes touching the very brink of every wave in her yellow and white polka dot bikini.

Finnick was walking around behind them somewhere gently singing,  
“It was an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini  
that she wore for the first time today  
an Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini….” over and over again.

"What are you waiting for?" Peeta asked her.

"You," she said simply, taking hold of his hand.

He maneuvered his way out of her grip, wet his hands in the surf, and smeared the fire wings by her eyes.

"What’d you do that for?" She asked, somewhat perturbed.

He looked out over the ocean, took her hand once again, gave it a squeeze, then scooped her up into his arms bridal style despite her squeals of protest.

As he began to walk out into the water he looked at her mischievously. “Because this is no place for a girl on fire,” and dropped her squealing into the surf.


	4. First train home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is home? It’s where you are, my love.
> 
> Submission for day four - green. Song is First Train Home by Imogen Heap.

Why was she doing this? Why was she here? Katniss pondered as she sat in her seat on the train next to an obnoxious snoring man whose breath wreaked of alcohol.

She stared out the window at the scenery rushing by, a blur of green, and just wanted to be out there, getting fresh air and marveling at the little things around her.

Katniss was on her way to see him. To see Peeta. He had been deployed to some country she couldn’t pronounce, but not to fight. No, though he was a trained soldier, his main purpose there was to go into the thick of things and take photographs.

She had no idea how he did it, as he would cry when she gut a deer or prepped a chicken for him to cook, but he was out there seeing people die, surrounded by stone and sand, and blood, far away from her escape of green.

Popping in her earbuds, she put her iPod on shuffle and her breath felt like it was being stolen from her as the first song played, it was so accurate as she stared out the window, clinging to her little bit of breath, her little bit of green, her little bit of peace on the other side of the glass.

 _I’ve got to get on it._  
_I’ve got to get on it._  
_I’ve got to get on it._  
_Bodies disengaged, our mouths are fleshing over._  
_Is this an echo game? Irises retreating to ovals of white._  
_The urge to feel your face, and blood rushing to paint my handprint._  
_A Frisbee one by one; your vinyl on lamanent, desperate some kind of contact._

 _First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_To catch, to catch, catch-catch, catch._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First Train home_

 _Home_. Where was home for Katniss?

 _Temporal deadzone where clocks are barely breathing._  
_Yet no one cares to notice for all the yelling, all night clamor to hold it together._  
_I want to play ‒ don’t wait ‒ forms in the hideaway_  
_I want to get on with getting on with things_  
_I want to run in fields, paint the kitchen, and love someone_  
_And I can’t do any of that here, can I?_

With Peeta. Home was with Peeta.

 _First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First train home, I’ve got to get on it._  
_First Train home._

_So what? You’ve had one too many._

She looked to the man sleeping beside her and smiled.

_So what? I’m not that much fun to be with._

Her smile faded and she stared at her hands in her lap.

_So what? You’ve come silly hatter._

She stifled a laughed as one of the attendants came walking by, dressed in her uniform, with mile high hair and a hat covered in 3D butterflies.

_So what? I didn’t want to come here, anyway._

Once again her smile faded as she remembered where she was.

 _What matters you, doesn’t matter, matter to me._  
_What matters to me, doesn’t matter, matter to you._  
_What matters to you, doesn’t matter, matter to them._  
_What matters to them, doesn’t change anything._

She was going to do this. She was. She looked out the window again, finding it eased her shortness of breath.

 _Got to get on it._  
_First train home._  
_Got to get on it._  
_First train home._

 _First train home I’ve got to get on it_  
_(I’ve got to get on it)_  
_To catch, to catch, catch-catch, catch._  
_(First train home)_  
_First train home I’ve got to get on it_  
_First train home._  
_(First train home)_  
_To go, to go, to go, get, get, get, get, out, out, out, out, now, now, now, now._

X-X-X

When she saw him, her breath caught in her throat and tears pricked the back of her eyes. He was turned away from her, but his form, though clad in a dark army green t-shirt and khakis, was unmistakable, and that mop of blonde wavy hair she missed so much.

He was home. He was here. He was safe.

She approached him slowly and stood behind him, trying to catch her breath when he spun around and met her eyes, his face breaking into an ear to ear grin. He pulled her into a hug, which she only lightly returned.

He pulled away, a look of concern on his face. “Are you okay?”

Katniss reached her hand out and touched his face, lightly tracing his features with her finger tips. She then brought up her other hand and started stretching his face in all different directions.

"Uh, Katniss," Peeta said, his voice quiet, "I’m feeling a little bit like that scene in Hook where that kid is smooshing Peter’s face."

She smiled and whispered, “Oh there you are, Peeta.”

When she released his face, she lunged at him, holding him in as tight a hug she could manage, refusing to let go.

"What was that all about?" Peeta asked, muffled into the top of her hair as he kissed it. When he felt his shirt grow damp and Katniss’ body shake with gentle sobs, he tried to pull her away and look her in the eye, but she wouldn’t allow it. "Katniss, what’s wrong?"

She lifted her face from the crook of his neck and whispered in his ear, “I had to make sure you were real.” She felt Peeta exhale. “I’ve dreamt of this since the day you left, and every time you would try to hug me, I would try to hug back, but you vanished into thin air as I did. I would wake up screaming. Not only could I not touch you in person, I couldn’t touch you in my dreams.”

"Oh, Katniss." He finally pulled her away enough to look in her eyes. "Oh, Katniss, I’m so tired."

"Right, let’s get you home and adjusted back-"

"No."

"No?"

"I mean yes, but that’s not what I mean." He took his dog tags off and put them around her neck. "I’m done. No more."

"You…. You’re leaving me?"

"No!" He reassured, a bit too loudly. Then, cupping her face in his hand, his voice growing soft, "No. Not in one hundred lifetimes would I make that mistake."

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes in relief, a few tears falling unbidden down her cheeks.

"I mean I’m done doing this. No more trips, no more leaving, no more missing you."

She opened her eyes wide and stared into his blue eyes, the ones she missed so much, and their intensity held her there. “I…. I’m not sure I follow.”

"I’m ‘retiring’. I’m coming back home to stay and open that bakery I always wanted to, and live the life I’ve always wanted to…. With the woman I’ve always wanted to."

For what seemed like the millionth time that day, Katniss’ breath caught in her throat as Peeta got down on one knee, and pulled out a ring box, opening it to reveal a simple band with a single pearl set in the center.

"I was going to say something profound and beautiful, but, I think I summed it up with what I just said."

Katniss merely nodded, her bottom lip quivering despite her smile.

"Katniss, will you marry me?"

"You have to ask?"

X-X-X

**One year later**

Peeta had cooked her favorite of his new recipes, cheese buns, and packed a few sandwiches and bottles of water for them to eat on their picnic in the meadow behind their house.

The tall, green grass swayed in the gentle breeze and entertained their three month old daughter with it’s swaying.

Peeta grabbed Katniss’ hand and squeezed, meeting her eyes and smiling. Then let go and started tickling their daughter who giggled.

She smiled at the sight of it all. Little did she know how accurate that song was she had heard on that train a year ago. She thought it meant to get away, to get back to what she knew, but really, the first train _home_ was the ride back with Peeta that day, to the same place she came from, but with a new way of life.

A life with the person she could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve.

A life that was continually new, and fresh, and engaging.

She was no longer just living, she had a life. She had a love. She had a home. She had Peeta. And that is what made it home for her.


	5. It was a Toy Story wallpaper kinda day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katniss and Peeta discuss the shapes of clouds, but the conversation quickly takes another direction.
> 
> Rated G
> 
> AU
> 
> Some quotes are directly from the Hunger Games books, though I did change up the wording a bit to fit, and I just want to state that they belong to Suzanne Collins. I know, I know, but better safe than sorry.

Katniss and Peeta lay in the meadow, a lazy Summer day passing by too quickly, yet all too slowly at the same time.

As they lay side by side, watching the clouds pass by, they pointed out the shapes they saw and would laugh hysterically at one another’s interpretations.

"You think that looks like a _cow_?” Peeta asked Katniss incredulously, despite his grin.

"You think that looks like a _T-Rex_?” Katniss mimicked his tone, stealing a glimpse at him out of the corner of her eye.

All she could make out through the tall blades of grass between them was a tuft of his blonde summer mop of a haircut, and two blue eyes, shimmering like water, reflecting the clouds passing by. It was as if the sky never stopped between itself and his eyes, it merely continued down to his soul, through those beautiful windows he called eyes.

She found herself staring, her mind drifting, and if Peeta noticed, he sure wasn’t showing it.

Why was she here? With him? More so, why was he here…. With her?

Peeta was a good person, kind, strong, confident, and helpful. No one he ever met was a stranger to him, or too far gone to help.

She scooted over and laid so their heads were touching, crushing the grass that obscured her view.

Only, now, she was so close that grass wasn’t obscuring her view, but because of their proximity, Peeta was blurry when she tried to steal a glance. She stifled a laugh when she realized it, but it quickly faded as she studied his face, the only clear thing his blue eyes in contrast to everything else in her view. Even when blurry, they still took her breath away.

X-X-X

Katniss might have thought he didn’t notice her trying to steal glances at him, but he did. It was very hard for him to keep a straight face as her saw her facial expressions change with her internal thought process.

What she didn’t know is that he was stealing glances at her when she wasn’t stealing glances at him.

All he could see through the tall blades of grass was the tip of her nose, which he found himself wanting to kiss very badly, the beginning of her signature braid, and grey eyes.

The grey eyes that matched storm clouds. The grey eyes that he saw in his dreams. They looked electric, as if they were literal storms with lightning when she was angry, and clouded over like an overcast day when she was sad. And when she was happy, they sparkled, like steel.

He could see the clouds racing by above them reflected in her eyes, and they looked even more beautiful than they did in the sky. He wanted to point out that one looked like a bunny, but he only saw it in her eyes and could not tell where in the sky it would be.

He tried to keep his face impassive as he saw her stare at him in his peripheral. What he wanted more than anything was to just turn to her and kiss her, but he would never force something like that on her. If he could just turn and look at her, that would suffice.

She moved and laid next to him, the shells of their ears brushing one another and he couldn’t tell if it was his or hers that were burning, probably with a blush.

X-X-X

"Peeta,” she said quietly. “When did we become friends?”

“Forever.” Peeta said.

Katniss laughed. “When did forever start?”

"Oh, now I get it. When we were 5."

"What? No way."

"Yes! You volunteered to sing a song in front of the assembly, and right then and there I knew I was a goner."

"A goner?" Katniss laughed. "Okay, then, what was I wearing?"

She glanced over and saw his eyes shut tight in concentration, then the tension eased and he smiled as he spoke, his eyes still closed as if picturing it. “You had on a red plaid dress and your hair… it was in two braids instead of one.”

To be honest, Katniss couldn’t remember herself, and the fact that he did should creep her out, but for some reason, it didn’t.

Peeta stared at the clouds again, still smiling. “You stood up on a stool and sang it for us. And, I promise this is real, every bird outside stopped singing and listened.”

“Oh, please,” Katniss said, laughing, though her tone was quiet.

“No, this is real! I’m serious!”

“You have a… Somewhat creepy, but remarkable memory,” Katniss dead panned.

Peeta smiled. “Creepy, is it? Well then how about this?” He turned to face her, as did she, and their noses touched. He spoke very quietly and sincerely. “I remember everything about you,” he paused and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re the one who wasn’t paying attention.”

“I am now,” Katniss said, her voice too breathy for her liking.

“Well, I don’t have much competition here,” he says with a chuckle and gesture of his arms to the open and empty meadow.

“You don’t have much competition anywhere.” Katniss said, surprising even herself by not only the words coming out of her mouth, but at how boldly they came out.

They stared at each other for a second, each blushing and turning away.

"So, Peeta Mellark has a crush on me. Aw!" Katniss teased. Her tone turned serious. "Peeta, who do you want to marry someday?"

"She came here with me."

Katniss tuned to see him already looking at her. Those eyes, those blue stained glass windows to his soul were so sincere and confident. “Me?” She squeaked, pointing to her chest.

Peeta turned back to the sky and laughed.

Katniss followed suit, not wanting to see his face when he said he was joking.

"You have no idea. The effect you can have." He said, no trace of teasing or lying in his voice.

They turned once again to each other, holding the other’s gaze, and their lips met in a soft kiss.

When they broke the kiss, Katniss turned back to the sky, Peeta following several seconds after.

Several minutes of awkward silence fell on them.

"Stay with me?" Katniss whispered, not ashamed of the little warble in her voice.

He turned to face her, as did she, and their noses touched, just like the first time. “Always,” he said with a smile, and a tone implying nothing else had ever crossed his mind.

Kissing the tip of her nose, he whispered, “Always.”


	6. As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rating: K
> 
> AU, Toast Baby, Humor
> 
> Summary: ‘As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.’ Katniss explains to their daughter the meaning of her name and why she should be proud of it.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!" Peeta half shouted, catching himself and biting the tip of his thumb in an attempt to plug his growing frustration. "Katniss?"

"Yes?" She called from another room.

"Can you come here, please?"

"Where is here?"

"My painting studio."

"Okay just a second."

Peeta stared at their daughter who sat in a chair beside where he had been sitting, a blank canvas in front of them. She had her arms crossed, her mother’s signature scowl, and angry pouted lips. It would be comical if he weren’t so frustrated. He’d have to remember it to paint later.

Katniss walked into the room. “What?”

Peeta just nodded toward there daughter, then turned to look at Katniss.

He could tell she was biting her cheek to try and not laugh at her mini me on the chair. “What’s the problem here? What’s with grumpy gills over there?” She asked.

Peeta sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand while he spoke, the other shoved into his jeans pocket. “The grump on her rump. She won’t paint with purple.”

Katniss snorted, but quickly adjusted when he didn’t laugh as well. “What?”

"She won’t touch it. She wants to paint a rainbow, and you have to have purple, well violet, but purple to do that."

"Honey, what’s wrong with purple?"

"No!" The little girl insisted.

Peeta and Katniss looked at one another, knowing they were obviously going to get no where on this one, at least not anytime soon.

Katniss turned back to their daughter, and went to her chair, lowering herself to a crouch beside it. “How about you go bake cookies with daddy-“

"What?" Peeta interrupted, going silent at a look from Katniss.

"And I will go out into the woods and get something that will change your mind about purple. If it doesn’t then you can just paint something else, okay?"

"Okay!" Their daughter shouted and jumped up excitedly as if nothing had happened.

Peeta shook his head, mouth agape, and pointing in the direction of their daughter, making Katniss smile. “What was that? Why do I have to bake cookies while you go on adventure? What are you doing?”

Katniss merely smiled. “All the cookies better get baked. I know how much cookie dough that recipe makes, and their better not be any sampling before they go in the oven.”

"Hey, tasting as I go is my style."

"Mix it up a little."

"If you get her to paint with purple, I will make you an entire batch of cookie dough just for you."

"Throw in cheese buns and you’ve got a deal."

X-X-X

Katniss walked back into the house which smelled of cookies and smiled.

Her daughter came running up to her, smiling, brown hair swaying in ‘a braid like mommy’s’ and blue eyes like her father, framed with smudges of flour, and what looked like orange icing on the tip of her nose. “Mommy!”

She noticed the bundle of flowers in Katniss’ hand. “What’re those?” She asked as she pointed at them.

"Your name? Violet? This is what they look like."

"That’s me?" Her daughter sounded awestruck.

Katniss smiled. “Yup. Remember your aunt Prim? Well her full name is Primrose, a type of flower. My name?”

"Katniss!"

"That’s right! My father always told me, ‘As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.’"

Violet scrunched her face up in confusion. “That makes no sense.”

Katniss nodded assuredly. “Well, the plant is kind of like an onion, it’s edible, so he was kind of joking.”

"Oh." Her daughter looked completely lost.

"Yeah. But violets, they are edible, too, but people love them for their beauty. Their color, their smell.  
What my dad meant was true for you, too. Whenever I go out I the woods, daddy always makes sure I have food with me, right?”

"Right." Violet nodded firmly, a proud smile on her face.

"Otherwise, if I got lost, I would be wandering around with an empty belly, and that’s no fun."

"He should send you cookies, too."

Katniss heard Peeta snort through the kitchen door and she smiled. “Agreed. But hear me out.”

"I’m all ears." The little girl tugged at the top of each ear.

Katniss laughed. “Let me talk, kiddo! People love violets for their beauty on the outside, what they can see. But they also love them for their smell, something that comes from inside the flower, but you can’t see.  
If I am in the woods, lost, with no food and I am wandering around with an empty belly, that can hurt and not be fun. If you wander around not letting people see what’s inside, they’ll never know what to think of you. ‘As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.’ It means, as long as you are proud of who you are, and know who you are, and show who you are, you will always be happy. And you, Violet look and smell lovely. Be proud of who you are.”

Violet tapped her index finger to her chin a few times, deep in thought. “Stuff people can see, and stuff they can’t see? Like when you look angry when daddy doesn’t make you cheese buns, but you aren’t really angry inside?”

Katniss turned toward the kitchen door to see Peeta leaning in the doorway, ankles locked, arms crossed, and that lopsided grin of his turning up his face. “What can I say? She’s perceptive.”

Katniss scowled at him, and he threw his arms up in the universal sign of surrender, a smug smile on his face as he walked back to his art studio. Katniss turned back to Violet. “Yes. Kind of like that, my little sapling.”

"What is a sapling?"

"Too much talk of plants already! Something to talk about another time."

Violet moaned in disapproval, but Katniss cut her short by scooping her up and twirling her around, then pulling her close and tickling her belly as she asked between tickles, “So why wouldn’t you paint with purple in the first place? Huh? Huh? What’s up with that?”

After catching her breath, Violet shrugged. “I dunno.”

"Ha!" Katniss heard Peeta bark from the painting room, followed shortly by a low and muffled, "Women."

"Time for bed," Katniss announced, Peeta coming around the corner to say goodnight and give their daughter kisses. "You coming up with us?"

"No, I have paint poured already. I don’t want it to dry out."

With a last goodnight, Katniss carried their daughter upstairs, promised her she would take her to pick more violets tomorrow, and sang Deep in the Meadow, coming back down as soon as Violet was asleep.

"What was that ‘Women’ comment I heard earlier?" She asked as she walked into the art studio door.

Peeta peeked his head around the canvas he was painting. “What can I say? She’s just like her mother.” His eyes glinted humorously.

"Yeah, at least we stuck with my family tradition of plant names and didn’t name her ‘Cibatta’ or something. That would have been a whole different conversation."

Peeta lightly shoved Katniss shoulder, and she grinned as she walked to look over his shoulder at the canvas.

"What’re you working on an-"

She stopped as the air caught in her throat, failing to produce sound.

Peeta had painted Katniss kneeling by Violet’s chair, showing their daughter the handful of flowers. It was all a sketch except for Katniss’ hair, the flowers, Violet’s hair and eyes, which were all the appropriate colors.

"It’s….. It beautiful."

Peeta looked from his wife back to the painting. “Hopefully when she sees it we can paint that rainbow.”

"This one is going on the fridge." He said, as he flipped through his tiny sketch book and handed it to Katniss. She laughed at what she saw and ripped it out, laughing the whole way to the kitchen where she put a magnet on the sketch of their daughter sitting in her little chair, arms crossed, her mother’s signature scowl, and angry pouted lips.


	7. What do you like most about the stars?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rating: K
> 
> AU, Modern Day, lots of pop culture references, so credit where it is due.
> 
> On a night filled with stargazing and laughter, Katniss and Peeta try to be philosophical, ‘try’ being the key word.

Katniss and Peeta lay in the meadow, watching a meteor shower that was supposed to be one of those ‘once every blah blah years’ kinda things.

They would small talk between stars shooting across the sky, exclaiming excitedly and pointing whenever they saw one.

During one particularly long lull, Katniss stared to giggle.

"What?" Peeta asked, starting to chuckle himself.

"I’m gonna go on a deep subject path in a second."

"How deep?"

"Rafiki deep."

They both laughed.

"From the Lion King?" Peeta said between chuckles.

"No, from The Little Mermaid, yes of course The Lion King."

Peeta lowered his voice as deep as it could go. “Remember who you are.”

Another fit of giggles over took them, ending with them pointing at the sky in exclamation as they both saw a particularly large star.

"Well, that’s serendipity," Peeta said.

"What?"

"The shooting star after I say the iconic line from a ghost cloud lion in the sky from a cartoon movie."

Katniss turned her head to face Peeta and began to sing.  
“I can see what’s happening,  
and yet I haven’t a clue,  
you’re talking crazy and here’s the bottom line,  
I don’t know what to do.  
Should I run in terror,  
Or just contain my fear?  
Problem is I’m just like you so,  
I think I’ll stay right here.”

Peeta clapped. “Bravo!”

"Thank you, thank you."

"So what was that ‘Rafiki deep’ you were talking about."

"Oh. What do you think is up there?"

This time Peeta sang, “I haven’t got a clue.”

Katniss chuckled. “Okay. Than what is your favorite part of looking at the stars?”

"Hmmmm…. I like the canvas the stars are on."

"Aka: the sky?"

"Aka: the blackness. It is ominous, encompassing, yet comforting because it cradles all the stars."

"Hmmmm…."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I like the balls of flaming gas."

"Aka: stars?"

"Aka: yes. They look so simple, just little white dots on the big nothingness, but they are complex things, they have a life cycle, and for some reason, they give people hope. Wishing on a star, all that stuff."

"Hmmmm…."

"What?"

"I’m gonna go on a deep subject path here in a minute."

"Uh-oh."

Peeta turned to her and smiled. “You are the yin to my yang.”

Katniss laughed and looked at the stars. After a few moments of silence she began to sing.  
“Asante Sana!  
Squash banana!  
We we nuga!  
Mi mi apana!”

Peeta laughed and joined her with his own song.  
“What’s on the menu?  
It could be ceviche.  
It’s stinky.  
Ooh it’s Pumbaa.”

"Those aren’t the right words."

"They are in Lion King 1 and 1/2."

They looked at each other and Peeta laughed. “We need help.”

"I got a powerful urge to help you out  
So what-cha wish? I really wanna know  
You got a list that’s three miles long, no doubt  
Well, all you gotta do is rub like so - and oh.”

"Who was that?"

"Genie? From Aladdin?"

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Good grief."

"You’re a good man, Charlie Brown."

Just then a star shot across the sky. “Make a wish!” Peeta shouted.

Katniss scrunched up her eyes, making a wish, but still sang.  
“A dream is a wish, your heart makes.”


End file.
